• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

2 Strawberries = 2g of carbs

JenniferM55

Well-Known Member
Messages
611
Location
Cambridgeshire
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I've suspected I'm really sensitive to fructose, so today @ 11.30am I experimented with eating just two medium sized strawberries with cream. Just before eating I took a quick GS reading.

Who knew strawberries could be so 'evil'! I've been rather diligent since starting my new eating regime and have rarely gone above 7. I know GS measuring isn't an 'exact' science, but I think I can say that 2 strawbs (frutose) could spike an insulin reaction.

I discovered a handful of 'innocent' juicy cherries 'lit up' my glucose meter at the beginning of this path, though I was only a 'learner' then!

 
I react more to strawberries than the same amount of (carbs) raspberries. I now restrict myself to raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb and also gooseberries when in season.
 

Hi there, so you went up to 7.4? I don't think anybody's response would be much different, diabetes or not. A strawberry is like a spoonful of sugar so I think most people would be looking at what their level was after an hour or two and yours was good. The 7.4 seems fine to me unless I'm missing something. x
 

I'm learning, I'm trying to keep as low carb as possible. This diabetes testing isn't all about counting carbs, it's about what we react too. This is a new concept for me... I never dreamt the 'type' of carb would count.

I'm wondering if I'd have had a dozen strawberries, what the reaction would be?
 
TriciaWs said:
I react more to strawberries than the same amount of (carbs) raspberries. I now restrict myself to raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb and also gooseberries when in season.
Click to expand...

Thank you.... for my next experiment it'll be with raspberries, blueberries and rhubarb. Gooseberries had the same reaction as the strawbs with me, but they were rather sweet for a gooseberry.
 
Rather than strawberries on their own, or with cream, try them as part of a bigger meal - still with cream
I have 3 or 4 with full fat greek yoghurt and a bit of cream and 30g of seeds or nuts as breakfast for example. The extra food takes overall levels down, as it is digested at once not each individual food
 
JenniferM55 said:
Thank you.... for my next experiment it'll be with raspberries, blueberries and rhubarb. Gooseberries had the same reaction as the strawbs with me, but they were rather sweet for a gooseberry.
Click to expand...

Blueberries are not at all good for me. Worse than strawberries, raspberries etc.

It is always advisable to eat fruit with cream/yogurt as part of a meal and not in isolation. Even my nurse told me this way back when I was first diagnosed in 2014.
 

Well I didn't know that.... learning lots on this forum! Don't know where I'd be without the advice given freely here. Thank you MrsA
 
Funny how it affects everyone differently. My HBA1c was at 58 after eating salads and low carb for three months. Six months of eating home made burgers and chips and half a punnet of strawberries and double cream most nights it came down to 51!! Go figure!
 
JenniferM55 said:
Well I didn't know that.... learning lots on this forum! Don't know where I'd be without the advice given freely here. Thank you MrsA
Click to expand...
indeed avoid any between meal eating (not just fruits). Eat bigger meals to sustain you through
I learned the hard way snacking on 2 (healthy!!!) apricots and rose over 4
 
To be honest your reaction doesn’t seem too bad particularly as you were back down to 6.5 after 11/2 hours.
 
I am sooooooo glad we are all so very different! Went strawberry picking last year, and being on a pump I gave myself 2 units of insulin over 1 hour. I ate more than I picked (and I picked a LOT). BGs stayed stable over the next few hours.
 
porl69 said:
I am sooooooo glad we are all so very different! Went strawberry picking last year, and being on a pump I gave myself 2 units of insulin over 1 hour. I ate more than I picked (and I picked a LOT). BGs stayed stable over the next few hours.
Click to expand...

Hi Porl,

A mixture of what is essentially "gardening" with PYO? Nice hot day perchance, increasing sensitivity?
Altogether increasing demand for the "fruits of the labour.."

@JenniferM55 , your readings don't look like a worry. You may wish to try the same experiment in the afternoon or evening, where personal IS might/could change? (One possible factor involved.)
 
My small portions of fruit always get "buried" in some sort of full fat, and I very very rarely eat any except as part of a proper meal. In general these small helpings of low carb fruit with my meals don't give me any cause for concern glucose wise, and the small amounts of fructose involved can be metabolized by my liver, and if necessary converted to glucose to be used as essential brain fodder...

Yesterday my small pudding of (somewhat higher carb than strawberries) blueberries in a cocoa creme fraiche mix saw me come back down to my pre meal level after two hours, which did slightly surprise me... but was a nice added bonus.

porl69 said:
... Went strawberry picking last year, ... I ate more than I picked (and I picked a LOT). BGs stayed stable over the next few hours.
Click to expand...
That brought back happy memories from when I was a lot younger and many years before T2 ever raised it evil head. There was a local fruit farm near work, and during the summer we sometimes used to pop over in our lunch breaks to pick lovely sun warmed strawberries, and like you I probably ate more than I ever managed to put in to that basket...
 
We are all unique individuals and all have different reactions to carbs and types of carbs.
Use a BG meter to learn which foods are good for your body and which are to be avoided.
Verify anything you hear/read by doing your own test - what is good for me maty not be good for you - or on the other hand you may be OK with things that I I need to avoid!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…